Thursday, 26 February 2015

Genre: Self
help from the Renaissance – a conversation among courtiers on ideal courtier.
The discussion of a 16th Century syndicate group!

This booklet consists
of extracts from the unabridged Book of the Courtier translated by George Bull.
This edition works as a taster to the unabridged version.

Style: Witty, wise
and perceptive of the human condition.

Contents page: Book 1 , Book 2. !

This is rather
misleading since the full version translated by George Bull consists of
the original four books.

This edited
version is a depiction of the conversation over two evening rather the original
four. For example The end of this
abridged version is taken from the ending of the fourth evening .

Index: No Index - ( 5 pages double columns in the unabridged version)

Flick through eye appeal: No pictures, cartoons, diagrams,
and tables. Not sure this précis
requires it though . It is only 93 pages.

There a 10 sides of plain paper to make your
own notes and reflections.

‘Time for a breather’ stops : I would suggest take a break for reflection
after each speaker

Golden Nuggets: “ He should accompany his every act with a
certain grace and fine judgement”

“ ..practise in all things a certain nonchalance which
conceals all artistry and makes whatever one says or does seem uncontrived and
effortless”

“We must consider the merit of good deeds in two principal
things: to choose a truly virtuous end for our intentions and to know how to
find convenient and suitable means for its containment”

Topic Summary: “It is
necessary to have a master who by his teaching and precepts stirs and awakens
the moral virtues whose seed is and enclosed and buried in our souls”

War Stories: There
are some references to real war stories of these gentlemen at arms. Also good
anecdotes that have timeless appeal.

Illustration: None

Quotes:

“..everyone
praises or condemns according to his own opinion, always camouflaging a vice
under the name of a corresponding virtue, or a virtue of the corresponding
vice. E.g. the presumptuous man will be called frank, a modest man, dull; a
simple man good; a rascal, shrewd; and so on and so forth” Count Lodovico da Canossa

Short Review: This
edition could be called Book-of-the-Courtier-lite . It's a great read.

From the LinkedIn profile to
HR penchant for Job Descriptions and Person Specification the
attributes, skills and knowledge of job roles can be listed in a group exercise in a
training course.

However in this little book of
wisdom, the extended conversation of the pros and cons , the various nuanced
qualities that make for a successful courtier.( or a modern sales professional,
account manager, business developer ) are an entertaining read. They give you time to consider the balance required.

Agenda Item: Courts
of power still exist today.

They are the boardrooms, the Corporate HQs. Even in
our era of the Industrial Internet of Things the art of the modern courtier can
be enhanced through reading Castiglione’s classic.

Should wish to go straight to the full original:

The Book of the Courtier by Baldesar Castiglione is
published by Penguin Classics ISBN
978-0-14-044192-5

Wednesday, 25 February 2015

Actor Mark Rylance’s performance as the politically astute Thomas Cromwell has been much admired. His role depicts the perilous rise of Cromwell in the court of Henry VIII.

After establishing himself in London's legal and mercantile
world, he went on to gain a seat in the House of Commons as MP for Taunton and
to serve in the household of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, who was himself a
formidable politician, statesman and diplomat.

2.9 million viewers tuned in to BBC 2 to watch the six part costume dramatisation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall. I have do some surfing level research into Thomas Cromwell that I think will interest the community of Sales professionals - modern day business courtiers.

Thomas Cromwell's

Dad was a salesman

Born to a working-class family of no position or name. Thomas Cromwell was born around 1485 in
Putney, London, as the son of Walter Cromwell, a blacksmith, fuller and cloth merchant, and owner of both a hostelry and a brewery.

As a youth, he left his family in Putney and crossed the
Channel to the continent.

There are various accounts of his activities in
France, Italy and the Low Countries .

It is alleged that he first became a
mercenary and marched with the French army to Italy, where he fought in the
battle of Garigliano on 28 December 1503.

While in Italy, he entered service in the household of the
Florentine banker Francesco Frescobaldi.

Thomas Cromwell -National Portrait Gallery, London

Networker
par excellence and mixed among salespeople

Later, he visited leading mercantile centres in the Low
Countries, living among the English merchants and developing a network of
contacts while learning several languages.

He returned to Italy.

The records of the English Hospital in Rome showed that he
stayed there in June 1514.

Documents in the Vatican Archives suggest that he
was an agent for the Archbishop of York, Cardinal Christopher Bainbridge, and
handled English ecclesiastical issues before the Roman Rota.

Cromwell rose to
become the right-hand man of Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, adviser to the King. He
survived Wolsey's fall from grace to eventually take his place as the most
powerful of Henry's ministers.

Cromwell
declared to Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer that he had been a
"ruffian ... in his young days".

As viewers of the TV drama, we realise that many of the behaviours in royal courts
and the intrigues of Tudor England are still to be recognised today.

The machinations of court life continue in our corporate world and the era of the Industrial Internet of things.

Corporate HQ are the equivalent to the palaces of Tudor times

We have few royal or ducal courts nowadays but their
‘descendants’ are some business HQs which have taken on the appearance of
powerful courts of the past .

Princedoms with their castles to house their entourage.

The design of the
Peterborough Pearl Assurance Castle, the
Doge palace of the Edinburgh HQ of RBS. Image links below

Courtyards of the Big Banks of the City of London tend to be a covered atrium now but vast spaces designed to impress and possibly impose or intimidate the visiting business courtiers of today.

Volumes of empty space convey corporate wealth and
stability.

In the world of TV depicted world of
business TV shows, people
pay court to the dukes and duchesses of the Dragons Den .

Apprentices court the
favour of Lord Sugar in front of his
throne like chair in the frosted glass boardroom.

How to achieve true greatness

The ‘schmoozing’ as Lord Sugar refers to it, by the young
apprentices ,is as recognisable as the flattery and sycophancy of renaissance
courtiers.

Courts require codes of behaviour, rules of etiquette a.

Book of etiquette
get written for our new age. Such an example would be DeBretts Etiquette for
the Digital Age.

Human Nature has not change much though.

So it is useful to
seek out past wisdoms to mix with the modern fads we must learn.

‘How to achieve true greatness’ No 29 in the Penguin Books
mini series * Great Ideas is worth reading.

The unabridged version

It is an abridged version of Baldesar Castiglione’s "Book of the Courtier."

Despite being a guide written for
16th Century Italian gentleman, its observations into human conduct
and the arts and crafts of success within a ducal court is fascinating.

It is
written as a discussion over two evenings between courtiers on the ideal virtues of a Renaissance
courtier.

Yet it covers the attributes ,
skills and knowledge covered in today’s HR requirements for job description and
personal profile.

It could even give inspiration to better written profiles of
Linked in.

Castiglione sets out values that continue to offer clarification in
questions of leadership espousing such qualities of prudence, courage, loyalty,
affability and style which still hold court for today’s sales professional.

It even covers extra mural activities some may wish to
covering their CVs.

It also suggests time honoured advice in the best way to
gain influence in power.

Who knows , maybe Thomas Cromwell could have saved his head in 1540 if he had kept to its precepts ! The first English edition was published in 1561

Tuesday, 24 February 2015

"If it's a good
idea, why wouldn't you make 2,000 of them? I don't get up in the morning and
think about making clothes for only two people. I'm interested in actually
having an influence." Jasper Conran

When we get up in the morning and decide what to wear, we're
making a conscious fashion decision, whether we realise it or not. We are
influenced by fashion.

We might prefer to imagine that we are the agents of our own
sartorial free will.

Yet, for many of us, it is undeniable that how we choose to
dress ourselves each morning is the result of countless hours of trend
forecasters, industry analysis and designer innovation that has trickled down
from the catwalk to the High Street.

London Fashion Week February 2015

Originally the site of a Tudor palace, Somerset House was
designed by Sir William Chambers in 1776, and was further extended with
Victorian wings to the north and south.

Twice a year, London's grand neoclassical setting off the
Strand, attracts a host of fashion designers and their models dressed in their
best glad rags.

The courtyard becomes the centre of London Fashion Week - a
far cry from the building's past as home
to the Inland Revenue!

Spectacular Specs!

This year was the event's 61st year

More than 250 designers showcased their collections for
autumn and winter to a global audience.

The fashion sector plays a significant role in the UK
economy - it generates £26bn for the UK each year, rakes in £10.7bn from
consumers and supports almost 800,000 jobs.

Elegance

Sales of c. £100m are placed in the five days.

London Fashion Week is a crucial element in this, as orders
of approximately £100m are placed during the five days - and the shows are
watched on line by audiences in 190 countries worldwide.

It's the showcase of the very best of British businesses to
an international audience

Filter-down trends

The spectacular clothes worn by models on the catwalk can
appear impractical, unaffordable and sometimes ridiculous. So will they really
affect what we wear, come this September?

Traditionally, the idea has been that the clothes and styles
adopted by the richest in society eventually filter through and influence the
rest of us.

Street fashion

Purposeful stride with style

Since the social upheavals of the 1960s, an opposite process
has evolved, whereby designers have been increasingly inspired by the clothes
people wear on the streets.

So although the trickle-down progression might not be as
clear-cut as it once was - when designers dictated the trends and people
dutifully followed - it is still in evidence today.

Panache

The High Street is very much influenced by what they see at
London Fashion Week it seems

The eyes and ears out
for all the apparel brands in the FTSE 500 during the week

Internet acts as a catalyst

Classy faux fur

We may not wear the exact look that we see coming down the
runway on a model, but we will pick up little things.

There's always something
reflected in the High Street that comes through from London Fashion Week.

The Internet acts as a catalyst to speed up the process and
democratise fashion even further.

Collections that were once viewed only by the ticketed few
appear on line later the same day and on social media, instantaneously.

The transition
from Catwalk to High Street

As everyone can now see what is being shown, this has meant
that the procedure of translating catwalk designs to the High Street has accelerated.

Back in the day, it could take six months to a year for
runway trends to hit the High Street. Now it can be as short as three weeks. (
maybe even a day see * Knyttan)

Carrying literature, equipment and products over the neoclassical cobbles is perilous!

Models herald their entrance to Somerset Square with the clatter of wheeled suitcases over the cobbled entrance for London Fashion Week February 2015

Sunday, 22 February 2015

"As a filmmaker, I wish
we didn't have to do trailers at all, quite honestly. I wish we didn't have to
do posters. I wish
didn't have to give anything away. I wish people could just come in the movie
blind. But as an audience member, I respect that you have to tell an audience
that this is worth your time."

Drew Goddard

As the Hollywood Oscars for 2015 are celebrated, it reminds me of
another awards competition for posters , hoardings etc. that used to be held.

The event was promoted
by OSCAR Outside Site Classification and Awards
Research.The Outdoor Media Industry can teach we in selling a lot about designs for our Pop Up stand, posters and leaflets etc which we use to promote our offering albeit in our smaller scaled manner

Back in the day, 1987 the UK Outdoor Media industry launched OSCAR –

It was
felt that audience claims for posters and hoardings were overstated and a more objective set of measures
was required.

OSCAR involved noting the physical characteristics of all
the poster displayed across the country through a comprehensive survey.

Data collected included :-

·the direction a panel faced,

·its height,

·distance from the road etc.

The number of people passing by a panel could then be ‘netted
down’ according to these factors, introducing
better accuracy into audience counts. Eyeballs were countered rather differently to our social media clicks of today.

Coverage and frequency estimates that resulted were lowered

– 1,000 roadside
posters were now predicted to reach about 45% instead of the previous rough and
ready guesstimate of 85% 'rule of thumb'. Most in the business considered the
estimates to be far more realistic than before.

Traditional Large poster site

I am not sure OSCAR still exists but if it does, but if I was on the panel of judges my nomination this
month would be the blitz campaign of Facebook February 2015.

They have kept it simple.

Few words, a logo and a Photo and a like-tick
in the box.

Keep it simple salespeople KISS

Less of a kiss perhaps,more a knock-out combination of advert punches
I’d say

What makes
for good poster design ?

The poster design needs to convey the message yet at the same time appeal to the aesthetic
tastes of your audience.

Behind a good poster should be a message or idea.

The Imax 3D Cinema on the Southbank of Thames

It must communicate
something and should reach everyone.

The design should be consistent with the details

At night on the Imax

The same font should be used for the titles of all the series for
consistency.

The core skill is learning how to balance a composition, and
looking at how the viewer's eye will see it.

Balancing the font type and images is essential as you want
people to notice the image.

In a nutshell it must be readable, legible, well-organised
and succinct.

When creating an effective poster it is very important to
remember that less is more

Thursday, 19 February 2015

As we approach the razzmatazz of London Fashion Week in February 2015 what will this season's big new thing be?
Should you be visiting the show tent set in the court of Somerset Square ,you might like afterwards to pop-in to a pop-up shop in the newly refurbished new wing of the square. Knyttan.

Back in the day long before the industrial revolution ,
before Richard Arkwright’s spinning
jenny indeed even before medieval golden days of England’s wool trade, the Flanders
cloth trade and the dyers of Lincoln Green and Lincoln Red, making wool garments were a local cottage industry.
In a sense the Industrial Internet of things has brought us full circle back to the 'one stop shop'.

Knyttan was the old
English word for knitting. There was a time when each and every garment was different.

Now in the era of the Industrial Internet of things there is a sector of the fashion industry that has re-invented the one stop shop.

Display of Knyttan knitwear

Knyttan knitwear give
a voice to their customer in what they make. They engage their customer through a personalised contribution
to the design pattern of your jumpers, scarves, neck ties, and socks. In effect
an ‘infinite collection.

The selling role is one of listening to the customer and guiding them through the design process if they need it.
The seller must be diplomatic, consultative and a professional conversationalist.

Knyttan make everything to order on the premises . Their
customer can either pick from designs by famous artists or create their own
using Knyttan’s revolutionary design system.

The customer’s choice is then made for them on their own
industrial machines.

Knyttan's Simple3 step process to a bespoke garment

1.Swatches and tablet where customers can create their own design patterns

2. Computerised Stoll Knitting machine see video clips below

3. Louise from Marseilles with her own design scarf

Knyttan Unique design scarves

Small , Medium and Large

Knyttan Neck ties

Three sizes available small , medium and large

Three short video clips of the knitting machine at work "printing" out a customer's design of scarf

Monday, 16 February 2015

"Things do not pass for what they are, but
for what they seem. Most things are judged by their jackets." Baltasar Gracian 1601-1658

No sooner have the Retail and Horeca sectors (Hotels, Restaurants and Catering)
enjoyed the lift in sales of Valentine
season, this year we move straight into the period of Shrovetide thanks to the vagaries
of lunar timetables.

Squeezing a season
for every last drop helps leverage further sales.

Despite there being over six years to go until Easter some of the Supermarket shelves are loaded up
with chocolate Easter eggs.

The next mini retail event is Pancake Day.

It’s day that provides a spike in sales of a design classic
the plastic Jif lemon. Fat Tuesday (
Mardi Gras) offers a boon for the batter mixes,
eggs and flour, the various toppings nowadays and for traditionalists
lemon juice and sugar.

It’s a day when for once , ‘buying a lemon’ has a
positive nuance.

Creative packaging can become as much the ‘product’ as the
product itself. So it is in the case of the story behind the Jif lemon.

Design classic Jif lemons

The plastic lemon container and the idea of selling lemon
juice in this way was dreamy up by Stanley Wagner, a former RAF fighter pilot.

His plastic lemon was
made by a company in the telephone business, Shipton

.

Over the course of a
ten-month period from mid-1955 to early 1956 more than six million of these
lemons were sold, initially under the brand name "Realemon" and then
after an objection by the then Board of Trade the name was changed to
"ReaLem" and marketed with the slogan "juice in a jiffy".

Reckitt and Colman approached Stanley Wagner to buy the business
and after a very long negotiation a deal was concluded. A letter from Barclays
Bank dated 21 June 1956 reads " Dear Mr Wagner, I have pleasure in
enclosing two copies of the Draft for £......... credited to your account,
which the Bank will be pleased if you will accept as a souvenir of this most
successful transaction.

Conventional packaging of lemon juice had been ( and still
remains) in little glass bottles.

Now part of Unilever the plastic Jif lemon is still going strong. The design offer a
unique differentiation.

The pancake toppings sector continues to grow. This year
Nutella, the chocolate hazel nut spread, are running pancake day campaign.

Sadly the founder of the business Ferrero died
this Valentine’s day 2015. Billionaire Michele Ferrero, whose global chocolate empire
made him Italy's richest man, he was aged 89.

Like Jif’s Stanley Wagner, Ferrero knew the importance of
packaging a product to help differentiate it from the competition. Whether its
the gold foil wrapped ‘ambassador’s choice’ of chocolates Ferrero Rocher , the individually wrapped Raffaello, the handily packaged
Tic Tac mints or Kinder Eggs, the packaging sells and differentiates the product.

In the lead-up to Pancake Day on Tuesday, 17th February 2015 ,
Nutella has launched a £1.4m integrated campaign.

Carrying the strapline of ‘Pancakes love
Nutella’, the activity will kick off at the start of February and will feature
a standalone Pancake Day TV ad which will show families enjoying the occasion,
plus nationwide out of home advertising, radio, digital, social media and
breakthrough in-store display solutions

And the future ?

Maybe the Ferrero business or their creative agents might dream a plastic giant hazelnut to squeeze or a
plastic cute squirrel ( “Squirt Simon-the-squirrel on pancake day” ) containing
the chocolate spread. Perhaps the offering will include an ecologically responsible
5p donation to the Red Squirrel reintroduction project on Mersea Island.

For sure ,packaging and product development will go on a pace
whatever.

A syndrome that Balthazar
Gracian would have recognised back in 15th Century Spain.

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About Me

I have been a training consultant for 30 years.
I also research Buyers Views of Sales people for an ongoing research study I have done for the last twelve years
The majority of photographs, videos and audios in this blog are taken on my new Fujifilm Fine pix T from May 2012 The Pencil Sketches are mine also